Middle Ground
by ReaderAnony
Summary: When Eloisa took a leap of faith and saved the life of one who was supposed to be her enemy, she didn't expect to become his guardian and friend on his journey home. If that was low on the list of things she expected, finding another home with his people was nearly impossible to anticipate.


Prologue

The letter, no matter how difficult to write, was probably the most important he had ever written in his life. It was also the last. His eyes closed tightly. His breathing became shallow and heavy as hot tears gathered, threatening to fall. His teeth ground together as he felt his hand tighten to fists in devastation, nearly crushing the quill he held. He tried to put as much love as he possibly could into every scrawl of ink and yet, it felt like he was signing his life away. In a way, that was _exactly_ what he was doing.

The man breathed out harshly and turned from his desk to gaze at the small, finely crafted cot in the corner of the room where he knew his newborn lay. The infant, his second child, was a mere four days old. His wife had had an arduous labour and to hear the usually softly spoken lady spit curses at her husband and almost squash the much needed bones in his hand amused those present greatly. He found himself thanking the Light that, with the best midwives and healers at hand and ready to help, their little girl was brought into the world with no major problems.

A few hours later, their young and boisterous son had come barging into the room excitedly demanding to see his baby brother for the first time. He had been so sure that he would have a brother. Their bloodline had produced nothing but boys in over ten generations and so it was almost guaranteed. He'd already been heard claiming that he was going to teach him everything he knew about sword fighting and history and defence and hunting when they were older by his parents. They were incredibly glad to see that their boy was happy to have a sibling and, despite his insistence that he would have a brother, they knew he would be just as delighted to have a sister, no matter how small the chances of that happening were.

The parents were shocked when they had a daughter. They were even more surprised that, when they told their son he had a sister, his youthful grin widened and declared that she would be the strongest and prettiest lady in all the Seven Kingdoms! He still wanted to teach her everything he knew and it warmed their hearts to see his childish fascination with how tiny she was when it was finally his turn to hold her with his father's help. The man's wife smiled warmly when her son made silly faces at the baby with dark hair and rosy cheeks.

He was glad that he had that very recent memory to hold on to and give him strength. He had many responsibilities that meant he would be taken away from his family; all to defend them, keep them safe and make the world a better place for them. Pulling himself together with a wipe of his hand across his eyes, he signed the front of the envelope and then sealed the letter with melted wax from a candle and his official seal. He decided that, so as not to alarm his family, he would need to leave the letter in the desk where it would be found after he was gone.

Closing the drawer, he rose from his chair and made his way to the cot and sat on the bed to see her. The tiny girl, wrapped in a white blanket with gold trimmings, lay awake whilst fidgeting but didn't make a sound. Her large, true blue eyes wandered curiously until they landed on the figure above her. She would be a clever one; he was almost certain that she recognised him already. He brought his hand closer to her and waved his fingers in front of her and she quickly grabbed his forefinger as tightly as she could and squealed as he smiled fondly.

When she had gotten bored and let go of his finger to peer around the room again, his frown returned. He had to leave soon and would need to see his wife and son as well before they waved him off and so, after leaning down to give the baby gentle kiss on the forehead, he prayed to the Light for many things. The main thing being that his family would be okay.

Heavy, clanking footsteps sounded in the hallway that halted outside his bedroom, followed by three quick knocks. "Enter."

Another man, a guard with a bald head in full armour and holding his helmet, opened the door slowly so as not to frighten the child he knew was in the room. "Your Majesty, I'm sorry to interrupt but it's time to leave." He said softly. The King sighed, but nodded at the guard.

"Thank you. I'll head to the armoury immediately. Send the nanny back in as well to bring the princess to her mother."

"At once, Your Majesty."

As he road through the streets, fully encased in decorated lion's head armour, there was barely any sound except for the clicking of horse hooves and the crackling of the braziers that lit up the street. Crowds of citizens lined up on either side of the road as they watched their King and brave soldiers. His courage was stood near the city gates and he turned his horse to the side so he could face them.

The prince stood in front of his father. He would be the one to protect his family whilst he was away and he took his responsibilities with a surprising amount of maturity. Queen Taria, despite the melancholic smile to her husband, looked radiant in her tailored dress and crown as she held the princess in her arms. He noticed that a few of his people were straining their necks to try and get a glimpse of the new Royal, since there had been no formal naming ceremony yet. King Llane turned to address his young son who, in that moment, looked so much like himself. "There is no other man I would entrust the safety of my family to, Varian." The King smiled as the boy inclined his head in pride. "Keep your mother and sister safe while I'm gone."

He was immensely grateful to see his family together before all of Stormwind. As he and his armies headed out of the gates, he thought of the letter that he had left. Varian was old enough to remember his father, but his sister was not. This was the reason he had written the letter in the first place: so that she would read it when she was old enough to understand and know that he would always be there for her.

 _To my daughter_ _  
_ _Princess Eloisa Wrynn_


End file.
